BMW 7 Series will offer Level 3 hands-free, eyes-off, self-driving tech

BMW will be the second automaker after Mercedes-Benz to offer Level 3 autonomous driving in Europe.

BMW will offer its so-called Personal Pilot L3 technology in the 7-Series sedan range – including some models of the the i7 all-electric version – from March next year, the automaker said in a statement.

The technology will initially only be available in Germany.

Like Mercedes’ Drive Pilot, the BMW technology will allow drivers to use the system up to a speed of 60 kph (37 mph) on highways with a central reservation. Drivers will be able to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the steering wheel to answer emails, or watch shows or films on the central dashboard screen.

BMW said it will charge customers 6,000 euros ($6400) for Level 3 capability, which requires additional technology including a Lidar sensor as well as a ‘live’ high-definition map that connects to the Cloud via a 5G link-up.

The cost matches that charged by Mercedes for its Drive Pilot technology, which is a 5,950-euro option for the S-Class sedan. However, Mercedes increases the cost to 8,841 euros the battery-electric version, the EQS.

Mercedes rolled out the technology in May last year.

Drive Pilot uses radar, lidar and cameras, as well as ultrasound and moisture sensors, to provide data on road conditions to vehicle computers. It controls speed, braking and lane position.

In the BMW, drivers are alerted via a display behind the steering wheel when the Personal Pilot is available, and it is activated via a button on the steering. Visual and acoustic signals let the driver know they have to take over control again.

BMW says it’s the only L3 system available that lets drivers use the system in the dark as well as daylight.

Automakers have so far been slow to react to Germany’s 2021 ruling allowing Level 3 self-driving cars. Audi had prepared its 2017 A8 sedan for Level 3 driving but suspended the effort in 2020.

Audi has a second chance to roll out the technology on electric models such as the upcoming Q6 crossover using the PPE premium electric platform, which will also be used by Porsche for the electric Macan.

Porsche will take Mobileye’s SuperVision technology for the platform, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua told Automotive News Europe.

Shashua has said that his company’s technology can operate across a broader range of situations, rather than just in traffic following the car ahead as with the BMW and Mercedes tech.

“When we are talking about eyes-off in 2026, we mean full highway driving at speeds of about 130 kph, with the ability to keep functioning when you switch from one highway to another,” he said.

In 2022. the U.K. also allowed the use of Level 3 Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS), but so far no automaker has sold a car in the country with the system.

In the U.S., Mercedes has gotten permission to roll out its Drive Pilot technology in California and Nevada, and said in September will launch the technology in the EQS sedan in the fourth quarter, followed by the S-Class later next year.

In Japan, Honda won conditional approval in 2021 for a Level 3 technology but deployed it only in limited production. Stellantis meanwhile says it will have Level 3 available by 2024.

BMW could not give a timetable for the rollout of its Level 3 technology to other regions “as this depends on the respective regulators,” a company spokesperson told Automotive News Europe